Despite handing a point to the Calgary Flames, the Minnesota Wild took the crucial second point away from Calgary with Mikko Koivu’s game-winner.
Good Morning, Wild fans. I hope you all survived another late game in western Canada, because Mikko Koivu’s game winning goal was a beauty. Mathew Dumba also had the best game of his short NHL career with a goal and some great defensive work. By winning in overtime the Minnesota Wild elevated their playoff chances to 48% according to our friends at Sports Club Stats. Letting Calgary rally in the 3rd to tie wasn’t ideal, but an overtime win certainly helped the Wild’s chances. Don’t forget to check out Dustin’s coverage of the Iowa Wild’s 6th straight loss. If you missed it, here’s our breakdown of the new lines the Wild used to open the game.
RT @mnwildLIVE: #mnwild warmup lines:
— Gone Puck Wild (@FSGonePuckWild) February 19, 2015
22-9-29
11-64-10
26-3-14
19-56-21
First Period:
Jordan Schroeder and Zach Parise seemed to develop tons of instant chemistry, with Parise nearly drilling home a Schroeder rebound past Calgary goaltender Jonas Hiller.
Jared Spurgeon left the game around the 5th minute after taking a puck to the face and did not return, forcing the Wild to roll with 5 defensemen.
, playing with
and
on the 3rd line, opened the scoring on a beautiful play. After Dumba broke up a
scoring chance, the young Calgary native fed Coyle for a 3-on-2 in to the offensive zone. Coyle, rushing down the left-wing wall, fed Vanek in the slot. Although Vanek had a clear shooting lane, he sent a saucer pass to Fontaine who fired a wrist shot from the base of the right face-off circle that bounced past Hiller’s right leg pad to make it
1-0 Wild at 08:20 of the first period.
Coyle and Vanek made great heads-up passes and Fontaine managed to fire a still bouncing puck past Hiller. All in all, great play by the new-look 3rd line. It’s also worth noting Dumba made an incredible defensive move to break up a Calgary scoring chance.
Later in the first, Jason Pominville drew a penalty in the offensive zone, sending the Wild to its first and only power play of the night.
The top power play unit actually produced a stack of quality chances, including 3 shots on goal in about 1:35 on the ice before the second unit took over after Calgary cleared the zone. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk set up Jonas Brodin behind the Wild net. Brodin gave the puck to Dumba down the right-wing side and Dumba carried the puck in to the offensive zone. Once Dumba got about 20 feet below the blue line, he fired a fast, rising wrister that fit just over the left shoulder of Hiller and below the crossbar. We’ve seen Dumba’s wicked slap shot, but his wrist shot is no slouch either. 2-0 Wild at 11:36 of the first period. Dubnyk earned the second assist on Dumba’s goal, giving him two on the season.
Calgary went to the power play in the 13th minute. With Marco Scandella in the box and Spurgeon receiving medical attention, the defense looked a little worn out. They did well, holding Calgary to one shot, even though they looked worn out.
Coyle, Vanek and Fontaine had a quality scoring chance in the waning minutes of the first, but Coyle’s slap shot couldn’t get past Hiller.
Calgary got on the board near the end of the first period. After Flames’ Center Sean Monahan won an offensive zone face-off, Dennis Wideman picked up the puck and put a slap shot on goal from the right point. Jiri Hudler looked to deflect the puck down on top of Dubnyk before it trickled through his gear and in to the goal to make it 2-1 Wild at 17:08 of the first period. The goal was briefly reviewed to ensure it wasn’t deflected with a high stick. Because there was no conclusive evidence, the goal stood.
Shots after one period: Minnesota Wild 11, Calgary Flames 9
Second Period:
Not much in the way of scoring chances in the second. There was a sentiment floating across social media that the Wild let off the gas, but I have a different theory.
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Pominville had a breakaway opportunity about midway though the second. During his move to the net, he was clearly pulled down to the ice by a falling Calgary defenseman. The referees did not award a penalty or a penalty shot, forcing the usually calm defenseman to play a less disciplined game and take a hi-sticking penalty. Down to 5 defensemen and missing its 3 top penalty killing forwards, The Wild spent a lot of time in its own end and on the penalty kill. Nate Prosser made a great play in front of the net to bat a puck out of mid-air in front of the net with his gloved hand. Towards the end of Pominville’s penalty, Johnny Gaudreau picked up a loose puck in front of Dubnyk and buried it in to an open net. Unfortunately for Johnny Hockey, play had already been stopped and the rookie forward caught the wrath of the Wild goaltender
For good measure, Parise gave the Flames its 3rd and final power play of the night which the Wild killed to extend its penalty kill streak, remaining perfect since the all-star break.
Towards the end of the second, Koivu’s quick thinking and aggressive back checking broke up a 2-on-1 while Prosser slid across the ice on his stomach to break up a passing lane.
Shots after two periods: Minnesota Wild 18, Calgary Flames 23
Third Period:
Early in the third, Mikael Granlund put a long shot on goal that nearly eluded Hiller, who was then forced to stop Schroeder’s rebound bid. It looked extremely promising but didn’t get past Hiller.
With about 9 minutes left, Calgary did what they do best and rallied to tie the game. Lance Bouma put a sharp angle wrist shot over the left shoulder of Dubnyk to make it a 2-2 tie at 10:14 of the third period.
Union and Blue
Well, off to Overtime we go. Like I said above, the Wild need to work hard to avoid three-point games, but a point is a point, so far.
Shots through regulation: Minnesota Wild 28, Calgary Flames 35
Overtime:
If not for Devan Dubnyk, Calgary would’ve won this game about 30 seconds in to overtime. Instead, Captain Koivu won it for the Wild on its only shot in overtime.
After Dumba made another killer play in the defensive zone to stop a Calgary Rush, Dumba fed Scandella and Coyle to enter the offensive zone. Koivu trailed the play, grabbed a pass from Coyle, and waited patiently for a shooting lane to open. Once he had a clear shot, the Captain put a slow, rising wrister on net that flew past Hiller to put this game in the books.
3-2 Wild at 01:50 of overtime. Game over, Wild win.
Trembley’s Take:
What a fun game to watch. Scoring chances were pretty even on either side, The Wild played well, and the team tightened up defensively without Spurgeon. After the game, the Wild had no update on the young defenseman’s condition. If Spurgeon is going to be out for a while, expect the Wild to make a move before the trade deadline.
The Wild will stay in 10th place in the Western Conference after tonight’s game, just one point behind the San Jose Sharks and 2 points behind the L.A. Kings for the final wild card spot.
Dumba was an absolute star today. He had a goal and 3 shots in 18:20 of ice time. I feel like he really embraced his offensive prowess in an expanded role and made some killer defensive moves to keep the Wild in the game. He also led all Minnesota defenseman with a 52% even-strength corsi-for.
I’m still not sure how I feel about the new lines. Schroeder with Parise worked pretty well, as did Coyle with Fontaine. I’m just not sold on where to put Nino Niederreiter. He had a tough night.
Talk to you Friday, when the Minnesota Wild visit the Edmonton Oilers. Thanks for reading!!